It may be that some of these steps would be good ideas. Luke, in writing Acts and talking about the early Church, doesn’t hesitate to speak of the number of disciples and how they are multiplying, numerically and geographically, and so it is probably not a good idea to completely discount size as a function of whether the Lord is blessing a work or not.

But how do the “Eight Steps” and the suggestion that the church is “your” Church (which you are growing) connect with Acts 9? In the Scripture text, it seems that multiplication / church growth coincided with “walking in the fear of the Lord” and “walking … in the comfort of the Holy Spirit”, acts which seem to indicate that the Church is the Lord’s, not ours, and that the Church multiplies when we are living in close relationship with Him, walking in His ways, experiencing His presence.

I find these two texts (the “Eight Steps” and Acts 9:31) hard to reconcile. And “drive my cattle” doesn’t sound quite as warm as “feed my sheep.”

It would be great if the Lord multiplies us. I hope He does. But I think in the end I am less comfortable with the Eight Steps and more comfortable in suggesting we learn to fear the Lord and walk in the comfort of the Holy Spirit. And we’ll see what the Lord does.